Shelf structure

ABSTRACT

A shelf mountable on vertical support members is made of a rectangular piece of sheet metal and is provided with truncated corners. A flange extends around the periphery of the shelf including the regions of the truncated corners to reinforce the shelf. Connector members are clamped to the flange at the truncated corners and are adapted for mounting on the vertical support members. Spaced parallel ribs substantially extend between one pair of opposing edges of the shelf and are parallel to the other pair of edges. A row of elongate rectangular apertures is provided between each pair of spaced parallel ribs. The rows have lengths substantially corresponding to those of the ribs. In this manner, objects placed on the ribs are maintained at a level above the surface of the shelf and air is permitted to pass through the apertures and circulate around the objects including along the supported surfaces thereof. The ribs reinforce the shelf in the regions weakened by the apertures.

United States Patent 1191 Maslow, deceased et al.

[ *Dec. 23, 1975 1 1 SHELF STRUCTURE [73] Assignee: Metropolitan WireGoods Corporation, Wilkes-Barre, Pa.

[ Notice: The portion of the term of this patent subsequent to Apr. 1,1992, has been disclaimed.

[22] Filed: Apr. 29, 1974 21 Appl. No.: 464,916

[52] US. Cl. 211/153; 34/238; 108/144; 108/156 [51] Int. C1. A47F 5/00[58] Field of Search.... 211/153; 34/238, 237, 57 A; ,lO8/l44, 156

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1.073.151 9/1913 Matthew34/238 1,205,745 11/1916 Jeffries i 34/238 1,587,693 6/1926 Beland et a1211/153 X 1,853,840 4/1932 Bailey 211/153 2,081,763 5/1937 Peterson etal.... 211/153 X 2,135,766 11/1938 Pierce i 211/153 X 2,606,806 8/1952Giffard 211/153 X 3,065,860 11/1962 Swanson 211/153 3,255,722 6/1966Ferdinand et a1 108/144 3,294,250 12/1966 Evans 108/144 X 3,747,5407/1973 Salkoff et a1 108/156 3,754,728 8/1973 Bowman 108/156 X PrimaryExaminer-Ramon S. Britts Attorney, Agent, or FirmFriedman & Goodman 57ABSTRACT A shelf mountable on vertical support members is made of arectangular piece of sheet metal and is provided with truncated corners.A flange extends around the periphery of the shelf including the regionsof the truncated corners to reinforce the shelf. Connector members areclamped to the flange at the truncated corners and are adapted formounting on the vertical .support members. Spaced parallel ribssubstantially extend between one pair of opposing edges of the shelf andare parallel to the other pair of edges. A row of elongate rectangularapertures is provided between each pair of spaced parallel ribs. Therows have lengths substantially corresponding to those of the ribs. Inthis manner, objects placed on the ribs are maintained at a level abovethe surface of the shelf and air is permitted to pass through theapertures and circulate around the objects including along the supportedsurfaces thereof. The ribs reinforce the shelf in the regions weakenedby the apertures.

10 Claims, 6 Drawing Figures US. Patent Dec.23, 1975 Sheet1of2 3,927,769

UUFL UUUU J HUGH-HUD 5 H LUUUUUU d HUHUUHUUN y UUUUUUU UHUHUUUUU n v UUFIZUUHIWH L UUUUUDU SHEILFIYVSTRUCTURE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONShelves, and particularly those for industrial use, are frequentlyutilized to support objects while the latter dry or cool subsequent to atreatment process. To promote drying or cooling of objects in thismanner, air is frequently circulated around the objects. However,objects placed on prior art shelves have frequently not been adequatelydried or cooled on the undersides or in the regions of the supportsurfaces which abut against the shelf. The primary reason for this isthat the known shelving does not permit free flow of air in the regionbetween the shelving and the supported surfaces of the object. v 1

For similar reasons, the known shelving has not been fully satisfactorywhen considered in connection with the hazards of tire. When objectsaccidentally ignite and water is directed in the region of the objects,such as by a sprinkler system, the water is not permitted to freelyreach the regions of the supporting surfaces of the object, for the samereasons that air cannot freely reach these surfaces.

The present invention discloses a shelf which enhances the ability ofair and water to flow between a shelf surface and the supportingsurfaces of-the objects while the strength or rigidity of the shelf isnot compromised.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, it is an object of the presentinvention to provide a shelf which does not have the above describeddisadvantages inherent in prior art shelves.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a shelf whichis simple in construction and economical to manufacture.

It is still another object of the present invention to providea shelfwhich supports objects a predetermined distance above the surface of theshelf and is provided with apertures over the supporting area to enhancecirculation of air between the shelf and objects supported thereon.

It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a shelfwhich is provided with a plurality of spaced parallel ribs and straightrows of apertures between the ribs to increase the flow of air betweenthe shelf and the object supported thereon to enhance the drying and/orcooling of the objects supported thereon.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a shelf whichsupports objects above the upper surface thereof and which is providedwith a plurality of apertures throughout the area to permit water toreach the supporting surfaces of the objects when the latter are onfire.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS With the above and additional objectsand advantages in view, as will hereinafter appear, this inventioncomprises the devices, combinations and arrangements of partshereinafter described by way of example and illustrated in theaccompanying drawings of a preferred embodiment in which:

FIG. 1 is a top plan view of a shelf in accordance with the presentinvention, shown with connectors at the truncated corners thereofsuitable for mounting on vertical shelf support members; i

FIG. 2 is a cross section of the shelf shown in FIG. 1, taken along line2-2;

FIG. 3 is a fragmented enlarged view of a corner of the shelf shown inFIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a bottom plan view of the shelf shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a fragmented enlarged view of a corner of the shelf shown inFIG. 4; and

FIG. 6 is a front elevational view of the shelf shown in FIG. 1.

DESCRIPTION OFTHE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Referring now to the FIGURES,wherein identical or similar parts have been designated by the samereference numerals throughout, a shelf 10 in accordance with the presentinvention is generally designated by the reference numeral 10.

The shelf 10 is shown in the FIGURES as being rectangular and having twopairs of opposing parallel sides or edges. However, it will become clearfrom the description that follows, that the invention is not limited torectangular shelves and that any shelf configuration may be utilizedwhilestill embodying the essential features of the present invention. I

The shelf 10 is advantageously made of plate or sheet material, such assheet metal. Stainless steel, for example, may be utilized. However, anysuitable material which can be formed in the manner to be described andwhich has sufficient rigidity to support the items or objectscontemplated, may be utilized.

The rectangular shelf 10 of the present invention has two opposing majorsurfaces. The upper or supporting surface is designated by the referencenumeral 12a in FIGS. 1-3.

The shelf is rectangular, as shown, and provided with truncated corners14 where connector structures 16 are connected to the shelf. Theconnector structures 16 are suitable for mounting the shelf 10 onvertical support members (not shown)as to be described hereafter.

Extending about the periphery of the rectangular plate or sheet 12 is abead 18, which is best shown in FIG. 2. The bead l8 reinforces the shelfand rigidifies the same for supporting heavy objects thereon.

A plurality of spaced protuberances in the form of ribs 20. are providedwhich rise above the surface 12a. The ribs 20 are parallel to each otherand spaced from each other as shown. In the presently preferredembodiment, the ribs 20' substantially extend between one pair ofopposing edges or sides of the rectangular sheet and are parallel to theother pair of opposing edges or sides. It has been found that the ribs20 are effective for rigidifying the planar extent of the shelf when theribs are 'straight. However, the present invention contemplates curved,undulating or other shaped ribs, which may be used with differentdegrees of advantage.

Disposed between each two ribs 20, there is provided a plurality ofapertures 22. In the presently preferred embodiment, the apertures arearranged in rows, a row being provided between each two parallel ribs;Advantageously, the apertures 20 are rectangular and have dimensions ofthe same order of magnitude as the spacing between two adjacent ribs 20.In this manner, the spaces between adjacent ribs are substantially opento maximize the amount of air which can pass or circulate therethrough.

To maximize the ventilation effects and to rigidify or reinforce theshelf, the ribs and the rows of apertures are advantageouslyapproximately the same length and each extends substantially across thewidth or the length of the shelf, each substantially extending betweenthe regions of one pair of opposing edges or sides of the shelf.However, the ribs 20 and rows of apertures 22 advantageously do notextend to the very edges or sides themselves since this may somewhatweaken the shelf structure.

Referring to FIG. 2, it is shown that the shelf includes two foldedextensions or panels 24 and 26 which together form a sheet metal singleedge 23. The sheet metal single edge 23 is in the nature of a peripheralflange which extends about the periphery of the shelf panel or sheet 12including the regions of the truncated corners 14. The edge or flange 23is provided to reinforce the shelf. Extending from the panels 26 aretabs 28 which are folded over into a plane parallel to the sheet 12 andconnected to the latter in any suitable manner, such as by welding.

The connector structures are clamped to the flange 23 in the region ofthe truncated corners 14. The connector structures 16, which includetapered bores 30 therethrough, are clamped to the flange 23 by means ofa clamping bar 32 which is disposed on the opposite side of the flange23 from that on which the corner structure 16 is located. Screws 34extend through the clamping bar 32 and through holes (not shown) whichare provided in the flange 23. The screws 34 are received in threadedholes (not shown) of the corner structure 16 to thereby permit clampingor mounting of the corner structures 16 on the shelf.

The tapered bore 30 is suitable for receiving a tapered element which iscomplementary to the bore. When the tapered or conical elements aremounted on vertical support structures with their diameters decreasingin the upward direction, the tapered bores 30 can receive the taperedelements and abut thereagainst when the tapered bores are similarlyoriented to have reduced diameters in the same direction. The cornerstructures 16 are more fully described in my co-pending application Ser.No. 369,523, filed on June 13, 1973 for Shelving with Removable CornerStructures. My following patents describe vertical shelf supportstructures, including tapered elements, which are suitable forsupporting shelves having corner structures as described above: US. Pat.Nos. 3,424,l1l; 3,523,508; 3,604,369; and 3,757,705.

As should be clear from the above description, the shelf 10 of thepresent invention permits objects to be placed on the ribs andmaintained at a level above a respective surface 12a. In this manner,air is permitted to pass through the apertures 22 and circulate aroundthe objects including along the supported surfaces thereof. Objectsplaced on the shelving can thereby be more effectively dried or cooled.Similarly, a sprinkler system disposed beneath the shelf may also bemade more effective for extinguishing a fire of an object by permittingwater to flow through the apertures 22 and between the ribs 20.

The present invention is particularly 'practicalbecause it exhibits theadvantageous properties of rigidity and openness. Normally, theprovision of apertures 20 alone would tend to weaken the shelfstructure. However, this is alleviated in the present invention by theprovision of the ribs 20 which reinforce the shelf throughout itssupporting area. Accordingly, the advantage of openness isnot sacrificedby the desirable characteristic of rigidity and strength. Such a shelf,as described above, can find many practical uses, particularly inindustrical applications.

Numerous alterations of the structure herein disclosed will suggestthemselves to those skilled in the art. However, it is to be understoodthat the present disclosure relates to a preferred embodiment of theinvention which is for purposes of illustration only and is not to beconstrued as a limitation of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. A shelf mountable on a shelf support structure, said shelf comprisinga substantially flat, one-piece rectangular sheet of material havingdownwardly depending corner portions, said corner portions at eachcorner being disposed in a plane substantially normal to a plane definedby said flat sheet; connector means on said sheet for mounting saidshelf on the support structure, said connector means including cornerconnectors at each corner, each connector including a corner structuredisposed on one side of a respective corner portion and a clamping bardisposed on an opposing side of the respective corner portion, at leastone of said corner structure and clamping bar being provided with arecess dimensioned to receive a corner portion when the latter isclamped between an associated corner structure and clamping bar,surfaces of said corner structure and clamping bar being substantiallycomplementary to each other; fastening means for maintaining each cornerstructure and associated clamping bar in abutment against each other andagainst a respective corner portion with the latter being receivedwithin the respective recess, said corner structures further beingprovided with means for mounting the same on a shelf support post, eachcorner connector defining a substantially closed crevice-free structurewhich houses a corner portion; a plurality of spaced protuberancesprojecting above one major surface of said sheet; and a plurality ofapertures provided between said spaced protuberances, whereby objectsplaced on said protuberances are maintained at a level above said onemajor surface and air is permitted to pass through said apertures andcirculate around the objects including along supported surfaces thereof.

2. A shelf as defined in claim 1, wherein said flat sheet of material ismade from sheet metal.

3. A shelf as defined in claim 1, wherein said corner portions aretruncated, said sheet being provided with a peripheral flange extendingsubstantially around an entire periphery of said sheet including inregions of said truncated corner portions to reinforce said sheet.

4. A shelf as definedin claim 1, wherein said protuberances comprise aplurality of spaced ribs.

5. A shelf as defined in claim 4, wherein said ribs substantially extendbetween one pair of opposing edges and are parallel to the other pair ofopposing edges.

6. A shelf as defined in claim 4, wherein said spaced ribs are straightand parallel to each other.

7. A shelf as defined in claim 6, wherein said apertures comprise a rowof spaced apertures between each two spaced parallel ribs.

8. A shelf as defined in claim 7, wherein each aperture is substantiallyrectangular andhas dimensions of the same order of magnitude as thespacing between two ribs, whereby the spaces between adjacent ribs aresubstantially open to maximize the amount of ventilation therethrough.

and rows of apertures are approximately the same A shfilf as defined mclam Wherem and length and each substantially extend between the otherrows of apertures are straight and each parallel to one p of PP g edges.

pair of opposing edges of said sheet. 5

10. A shelf as defined in claim 9, wherein said ribs

1. A shelf mountable on a shelf support structure, said shelf comprisinga substantially flat, one-piece rectangular sheet of material havingdownwardly depending corner portions, said corner portions at eachcorner being disposed in a plane substantially normal to a plane definedby said flat sheet; connector means on said sheet for mounting saidshelf on the support structure, said connector means including cornerconnectors at each corner, each connector including a corner structuredisposed on one side of a respective corner portion and a clamping bardisposed on an opposing side of the respective corner portion, at leastone of said corner structure and clamping bar being provided with arecess dimensioned to receive a corner portion when the latter isclamped between an associated corner structure and clamping bar,surfaces of said corner structure and clamping bar being substantiallycomplementary to each other; fastening means for maintaining each cornerstructure and associated clamping bar in abutment against each other andagainst a respective corner portion with the latter being receivedwithin the respective recess, said corner structures further beingprovided with means for mounting the same on a shelf support post, eachcorner connector defining a substantially closed crevice-free structurewhich houses a corner portion; a plurality of spaced protuberancesprojecting above one major surface of said sheet; and a plurality ofapertures provided between said spaced protuberances, whereby objectsplaced on said protuberances are maintained at a level above said onemajor surface and air is permitted to pass through said apertures andcirculate around the objects including along supported surfaces thereof.2. A shelf as defined in claim 1, wherein said flat sheet of material ismade from sheet metal.
 3. A shelf as defined in claim 1, wherein saidcorner portions are truncated, said sheet being provided with aperipheral flange extending substantially around an entire periphery ofsaid sheet including in regions of said truncated corner portions toreinforce said sheet.
 4. A shelf as defined in claim 1, wherein saidprotuberances comprise a plurality of spaced ribs.
 5. A shelf as definedin claim 4, wherein said ribs substantially extend between one pair ofopposing edges and are parallel to the other pair of opposing edges. 6.A shelf as defined in claim 4, wherein said spaced ribs are straight andparallel to each other.
 7. A shelf as defined in claim 6, wherein saidapertures comprise a row of spaced apertures between each two spacedparallel ribs.
 8. A shelf as defined in claim 7, wherein each apertureis substantially rectangular and has dimensions of the same order ofmagnitude as the spacing between two ribs, whereby the spaces betweenadjacent ribs are substantially open to maximize the amount ofventilation therethrough.
 9. A shelf as defined in claim 7, wherein saidribs and rows of apertures are straight and each parallel to one pair ofopposing edges of said sheet.
 10. A shelf as defined in claim 9, whereinsaid ribs and rows of apertures are approximately the same length andeach substantially extend between the other pair of opposing edges.